Floral device



DE FOREST W. LUDWIG.

FLORAL DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 21, 1919.

1,336,249. Patented Apr. 6, 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DE FOREST W. LUIDW'IG, OF PITTSBURGH, IENNSYLVANIA.

FLORAL DEVICE.

Application filed November 21, 1919.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Dn FOREST LUD- WIG, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Floral Devices; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to floral devices, and it has special reference to devices for displaying funeral designs which are composed of flowers and foliage and which are known in the art as door crapes. It is now a common practice among funeral directors to make use of floral door crapes instead of door crapes composed of cloth or tl e like, and it is the purpose of my present invention to provide a holder upon which flowers and foliage may be conveniently arranged for this purpose, and which, in addition, shall provide means for folding the completed design in a compact package for delivery or shipment.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure l is a perspective view of a device constructed in accordance with my invention as seen from the rear and showing the completed door crape arrangement. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the same device as seen from the front, the flowers and foliage being omitted; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the device with the supporting board in its extended position; and Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view similar to Fig. 3 showing the supporting board in its folded position.

As shown in the drawing, my device consists of a supporting board composed of two sections 2 and 3 which are attached together endwise by means of one or more hinges l. The section 2, which is preferably larger than the section 3'carries a mass of light and porous or fibrous material 5 which may consist of moss or the like, and in which flowers and leaves 6 may be thrust to hold them in place. hen natural flowers or leaves are used the porous material may be saturated with water to keep them fresh. For the purpose of securing the porous material 5 upon the supporting board, I provide clamps 7 which, as shown, consist of stout wire loops that are attached to the rear of the board at 8 by means of screws or otherwise and are bent to engage the mass of porous material, as best shown in Fig. 2. These clamps may Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 6,1920.

Serial No. 339,601.

also be made of strap iron or of other suitable material, the only requirement being that they shall securely attach the body 5 to the supporting board. The material 5 and the sections 2 and 3 of the supporting board are all inclosed in wrappings 9 of waxed paper or the like, secured in place by means of cords 10. A loop 11 of wire is attached to the rear of the supporting board for the purpose of suspending the device from a door or wherever the design is to be displayed.

In preparing a floral door crape, a suitable quantity of natural or artificial flowers and leaves are arranged upon the device, some being thrust into the material 5 and others attached to the sections 2 and 3 of the supporting board. The section 3 may then be folded back on the section 2, as shown in Fig. 4, without impairing the shape of the door crape, thus reducing the complete design to about half its length and making it possible to employ a smaller box for delivering or shipping the design than would be necessary if the design were packed at full length. This is a particular advantage when shipment is made by parcel post, where packages must be of less than a prescribed size.

Various changes in the construction of my device may obviously be made without exceeding the scope of my invention, and I therefore desire that no limitations be imposed on my invention except such as are indicated in the appended claims.

\jVhat I claim is:

l. A device for holding flowers, foliage and the like, comprising a base member composed of a plurality of relatively movable parts, a mass of material to which flowers and the like may be attached, and a clamp for attaching the said material to the said base member.

2. A device for holding flowers, foliage and the like comprising a base member composed of two flat sections hin ed together edge to edge, a mass of material carried by one of the said sections for holding flowers and the like and a clamp for attaching the said material to the said base.

3. A device for holding flowers, foliage and the like, comprising a base member composed of two flat sections hinged together edge to edge, a mass of material carried by one of the said sections for holding flowers and the like and a plurality of clamps for attaching the said material to the said section, the said base member and the said material being inclosed in Waterproof sheet material.

4:. A device for holding flowers, foliage and the like, comprising a' base member composed of two flat sections hinged together edge to edge, a mass of material carried by one of the said sections for holding flowers and the like, clamps attached to the rear of the said base section and serving to secure the said material thereto, and a supporting loop also attached to the rear of the said base section and eXtending beyond the upper edge thereof.

5. A device for holding flowers, foliage and the like, comprising a base member composed of two fiat sections hinged togetheredge to edge, and each inclosed in waxed paper or similar waterproof sheet material,

a mass of fibrous material carried by one of the said sections and also inclosed in Waterproof sheet material, wire clamps serving to secure the said material upon the said base section, the said clamps being attached to the rear of the said base section, and a supporting loop also attached to the rear of the said base section and extending beyond the upper edge thereof.

In testimony whereof, I the said DE FOREST W. LUDWIG, have hereunto set my hand.

DE FOREST W. LUDWIG.

Witness:

JoHN F. WILL. 

